The Fire
by BeccaElizabeth
Summary: What would have happened if Easy and Callie hadn't gotten out of the barn in time? The Waverly Owls are faced with a huge tragedy, lives are changed, and nothing is the same.


**The Fire**

* * *

"You are so beautiful." Easy whispered in Callie's ear, sending shivers down her spine. 

They'd just... had sex. Made love. Whatever. She could still hardly believe it.

Callie moved to her side, leaning her cheek against Easy's strong, deliciously gorgeous six pack. She felt him lightly tracing his fingers around her shoulder blade. Suddenly, Easy laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked him, leaning her head up slightly to look at him.

He simply shook his head, his huge crooked grin dazzling. "We're gonna get caught red handed when the party's over and everyone's asking were we were the whole time."

Callie thought about it for a moment before falling down onto his chest, surprising herself that she was giggling. "Yeah, probably. But most of our friends are sluts or man-whores anyway so we'll all just have one more thing in comman."

She did have a point there.

* * *

Tinsley had just thrown Julian's lighter into the field, not caring where it landed. She'd seen Julian- her Julian- sucking face with that stupid ho-bag Jenny. She didn't know what they were doing now but she didn't care. She just wanted to talk to anyone whose name didn't start with that damned letter J. She walked up to Benny and Sage as they were toasting marshmellows. They weren't her favorite people but better then some. Maybe they knew where Callie was. 

"Have you seen Callie?" she asked Benny, trying not to hurl at the disgusting site of Sage getting her marshmellow stuck to her chin. Celine was laughing with her as she tried to untangle a bit of it from Sage's hair. God, her friends were losers.

Benny shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since- I think since the first time we went to get beer and that was like an hour ago. Haven't seen Easy for awhile either. Wonder where they went off to-"

"Holy shit." Heath said suddenly, looking at the barn. "Is that... smoke?"

Tinsley spun around to look at the barn. It was on fire!

People scrambled to grab their things and race away from the barn. Tinsley recognized most of the people that were racing towards safety, but then, as though she'd just jumped out of a helocopter without a parachute, she felt her heart stop as she realized that Callie and Easy were not in the crowd.

"Benny!" she screamed. "Callie and Easy aren't with everyone!"

Benny's eyes grew wide in fear as she glanced at the barn, and then made eye contact with Tinsley, her eyes huge and terrified. Tinsley felt little tears poking out of the corner of her eyes.

"Brandon! Heath!" she shouted at them. "Easy and Callie and still in the barn!"

The two boys stared at the barn in horror before racing towards it.

"Carmichael, tell people to get water!" Heath shouted in her direction as he and Brandon ran down the hill.

"EVERYONE GET WATER NOW, EASY AND CALLIE ARE STILL IN THE BARN!"

Tinsley scanned the area for some form of water- anything- and she saw a well. A well?! It wasn't like she had a big choice though, she realized as she ran over to it and started filling the buckets that the other kids had with them as fast as she could, practically throwing the buckets in the air for someone to catch as they throw the water at the huge flames. Please, please, please, she prayed, Callie is my best friend, let her be okay!

* * *

Not long before the fire had taken off, Callie was still resting against Easy, wanting to kiss him all over but seeing as how she couldn't feel a single muscle in her body, she begrudgingly decided to wait a few minutes. 

Easy softly ran his hands through her hair. "Did I hurt you?" he whispered.

Callie drummed her fingers on his shoulder blade, unsure how to respond. It had sort of hurt. Okay, it had hurt more then that awful, excrutiatingly painful shot she'd had to get when she was six. But Easy had gone really slow and when he'd seen that look of "holy shit, that hurts!" on her face, he'd asked her if she was okay. She'd said yes and then he'd kissed her really deeply... and eventually it didn't really hurt anymore.

"Nope." she said, maybe a little too assuringly.

Easy laughed, knowing she was lying. "Liar."

Callie stared at him in shock for several seconds before slapping him playfully. "I am not a liar and we should go to your house for Thanksgiving break," she said between kisses. "Because if we went to mine then we'd have to get dressed up for that fucking ball."

Easy draped his arm around her. "'Kay. But we should go to New York for New Years and we can get the best room at the Ritz and just stay there from the day after Christmas to the the day we have to go back to school."

Callie grinned at him. That was a whole week of time!

"I always liked New York."

Then she decided that she was ready to have sex with him again and she kissed him passionatly and then he flipped her over so that he was on top of her and it didn't hurt at all.

* * *

Easy had been smoothering Callie's neck in kisses when he smelled the smoke. 

"What is that?" said Easy, gazing around the stale. Was that... fire?!

"We've gotta get out of here." he said, throwing her clothes at her to put on.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. Why was he acting so wierd all of a sudden?

He looked at her for several seconds, not wanting to scare her. "The barn's on fire."

Callie threw her clothes on, refusing to think of what could happen.

Once they'd put on as much clothing as they could before they really had to get out of the barn, they raced towards the big door- which was already blocked by huge, fuming flames. Callie's eyes grew wide in horror. They were going to die!

"Come on, we'll find another way out." said Easy, as he grabbed her hand and they raced around, trying to find another exit.

* * *

"CALLIE! EASY!" Brandon shouted as he and Heath finally made their way into the barn after everyone had managed to threw enough water at the flames to make for a safe path into the barn. Somone had called 911 once they'd realized what was going on but the boys had gotten into the barn before they arrived. 

"THEY'RE OVER HERE!" yelled Heath. Brandon ran over to them and felt his heart stop as he saw both of them on the ground, unconscious. Yes, Brandon and Easy had been getting along better lately and Brandon didn't think he was a total slimeball, his best buddy no, but not a horrible person. And Callie... he had gotten over his obsession of her but he'd still always love her. And if she died...

"I'LL TAKE CALLIE, YOU GET HIM!" he shouted, as he scopped Callie up in his arms and ran towards the door. Heath lugged Easy over his shoulder and ran out after him.

* * *

Everyone else was crowded around the firemen as Brandon and Heath got out of the barn. Two of them grabbed Easy and Callie out of the boys arms, strapping them onto the stretchers, putting oxygen masks on them and then racing off to the hospital. Heath saw that Tinsley was in hysterics and raced over to her, wrapping her arms around her. 

"They'll be fine, they're gonna be fine."

Tinsley simply sobbed as Heath led her to one of the waiting limos, knowing that he could tell Tinsley that they'd be fine as many times as he wanted to- but he still had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was more then likely wrong.

* * *

Everyone was waiting in the dining hall for news. No one was talking, they were just crying and praying that when Marymount walked through the doors that he'd say they were both fine. Mrs. Pardee set some more water bottles on the table as she fidgetted with her crucifex. Suddenly, the doors opened, and Marymount stepped into the room- his face very grave looking. 

"The doctors did all they could to revive Mr. Walsh and Ms. Vernon." he wiped his handkercheif across his face. He'd never had to do something this hard- having to tell a dozen students that there classmates were- that they were- dead. "I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you all this but despite the doctors efforts, Mr. Walsh and Ms. Vernon die-"

"NO!!!" Tinsley shouted.

She collapsed from her chair, bawling hysterically. Heath had been sitting next to her and quickly dropped to the floor and pulled her into his lap, stroking her hair and trying to calm her down. Brett, Kara, and Jenny rested their heads on the table and sobbed. The three of them had figured out, after the truth had come out about Brett and Kara, that it had been Callie who'd blabbed. But somehow that didn't matter anymore. Brett had to admit, they all would have found out somehow anyway. And now Callie, the girl who'd she'd been best friends with for years- was dead.

Tinsley was sobbing wordlessly against Heath's shoulder. "We should have never had that party." she muttered, as Heath stroked her hair again, telling her that it wasn't her fault. Oh, if only. Tinsley was crying mostly because Easy and Callie were dead- but also partially because it had been she who'd started the fire that had killed them. She had killed her best friend- and Easy. How was she supposed to live with that?

* * *

The funeral took place the next Wednesday at a church not far from the school. The kids had been asked if at the wake, which had been on Sunday, wheither or not they wanted to literally see Easy and Callie. And as horrifying hard as it had been, they'd all voted a unanomous yes. Most of them had been to at least one open casket wake before. But never for their friends. 

Tinsley had never thought that she could get so close to Heath Ferro. But at the wake, she'd found herself practically attached to him, his strong hand holding hers as they walked down the long line, greeting the Walsh's and Vernon's. And when they reached the caskets, Tinsley felt huge tears cloud her eyes. Callie was dressed in a beautiful white Vera Wang dress, her soft curls flouting around her face, held back by a thin headband encrusted with diamonds.

"She looks like an angel." Heath whispered, as Tinsley wiped a few tears away.

"She does." she squeaked. She turned to look at Easy. He was dressed in a handsome white Armani suit, his adorable black curls looking as, well adorable as ever. All of a sudden, Jenny, Julian, Brett, and Kara were right behind them. Everyone looked from Tinsley to Jenny, unsure of what was going to happen. And as if they'd been best friends forever, they were suddenly hugging, both of them sobbing.

"I'm- I'm sorry I was, well a witch to you." Tinsley hiccuped, not wanting to say bitch at a wake.

"It doesn't matter." said Jenny, gazing at the caskets. "Can we just start over?"

Tinsley nodded adamently, as she and Jenny linked arms and walked over to the picture table. Mrs. Vernon and Mrs. Walsh had gotten together and made a mammoth collage of Easy and Callie. The left side was pictures of Easy and the right was of Callie. And the middle was composed of pictures of them together and of them with their friends. Tinsley caughed down a giggle when she saw one of all of them swimming at on of the off campus party. Callie and Easy were in the corner of the picture. Callie was lounging on a long pool couch and Easy was leaning on the edge of it. Callie had a happy, over the moon in love look on her face. You couldn't see Easy's face in the picture but it didn't matter. Tinsley had seen the way he'd looked at Callie. Like she was the girl that could put Helen of Troy to shame, like he was so insanely lucky to be with her. Tinsley had remembered what had happened right after the picture had been taken. He'd swam away from her for a moment and then slowly came back... and then he'd shoved at the raft and Callie had almost fallen into the water but Easy had quickly grabbed her. Callie had attempted to call him an asshole but he'd smached his lips against her's before she could finish her sentence. And they'd only stopped kissing when Tinsley had splashed water at them- mainly because she'd always been jealous of the adoring way she'd seen Easy look at Callie- telling them to get a room. Even when they'd been broken up for like three seconds, a little part of Tinsley had known that they were going to get back together eventually.

"They probably would have gotten married, like the second after we graduated."

Jenny nodded, surprising herself at how much she agreed with Tinsley. She had wanted Easy to love her like she knew he loved Callie- or something like that. She'd been so, so happy being with Easy but looking back... part of her had always felt like she'd been competing against Callie, trying to live up to how steller of a relationship he'd had with her. They were never going to get very far that way.

"They were meant to be together."

Tinsley looked at her sadly, knowing how hard it was for her to say that. But she was right.

* * *

At the funeral, the church was packed with friends and family. Tinsley, Jenny, and the others all sat a few rows behind the families. 

"Thank you all for coming." said the paster. "It is with great sorrow that today we lay to rest two people who's lives have hardly yet begun. If you would all please open your hymnals to page 215..."

After several songs, the family members went up and said a bunch of tear jerker speeches about Easy and Callie, one of Easy's brothers had said that he'd seen the way Easy had looked at Callie and that they probably would have gotten married right after high school. Then it was the friends' turn to talk. Tinsley went up first.

"Hello." she said into the microphone. "My name is Tinsley Carmichael and Callie was my best friend." she sighed, knowing this was not going to be easy. "I could tell Callie anything and whenever I was with her, we were having fun. And Easy... he could always make me laugh." she coughed, at a loss as to what to say. "There's no doubt in my mind that they were always going to be together. My kids will never get to know them, and I'm not sure I'll ever get over that. But I will tell them about both of you and you will always be a part of my family. Thank you." she said quietly as she hurried back to her seat, not wanting everyone to see her burst into tears. After Tinsley sat down, Jenny and Brett went up. Kara didn't feel like she'd really gotten a chance to know Easy or Callie very well so she stayed in the seats.

"Hello." said Jenny. "My name is Jenny Humphrey. Um... I just started at Waverly this year and didn't get to know Callie and Easy as well as everyone else. But, what I did gain in the short friendships that we had was that they were both very- that they were both very passionate people who went all out when they made friends with someone. I wish I could have known them both better." she said, as she stepped back and Brett stepped up to the stepple.

"I'm Brett and Callie was also my best friend. Callie always wanted to do the right thing. I think that her definition of that varied compared to many other people's," she giggled, and was glad to see that most of the other people laughed too. "But she always wanted to have fun. Easy was a lot like her in that sense. He wasn't the type of person who could stand sitting around doing nothing all day." she sighed, not knowing how to end. "I'll miss you both very much."

Several of the other kids' got up to speak, when Heath went up he said that Easy always kicked his ass at soccer.. and then, to most of the students' surprise, Brandon went up.

"Hello." he said. "My name is Brandon Buchanan. Um... I used to go out with Callie, before Easy did. And as hard as it was breaking up with her, she and Easy always just looked like they were supposed to be together." he laughed lightely. "Their relationship was probably one of the most serious one's in the whole school. They've were pretty much all of last year and most of this year. I don't think any other couple has lasted more than a month, maybe two." At this remark, all the kids howlled with laughter, especially Heath. He'd "gone out" (or had sex with, which ever way you looked at it) many, many girls. And none of it had ever really meant much. But they all knew that wasn't true for Easy and Callie.

* * *

After the service, the caskets were put back in the herse and everyone drove to the cemetary. There wasn't much talking there as everyone tossed flowers onto the caskets before they were lowered into the ground. After the diggers pilled the last bit of dirt onto the graves, the crowd slowly dispersed until it was just Tinsley, Heath, Jenny, Kara, and Brandon. 

"I can't belive they actually died." Tinsley sniffled, wringing a tissue around her fingers.

Heath nodded. "Me neither. But you know... they didn't exactly have a horrible last hour."

Everyone looked at him for several seconds, registering what he'd said. Tinsley then slapped him gently, coughing down a mixture of tears and giggles until he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug.

"Let's go home." he said, leading the way back to the waiting limo.

As Jenny walked beside Brett she could have sworn that she smiled strawberries. Yet there were no bushes around them. Hadn't strawberries been one of Callie's favorite fruits? She smiled to herself, comfortered by their presence. Maybe someone was just waring strawberry perfume. Or maybe it was the wind. Either way, she had a strong feeling that Easy and Callie were still going to a part of their lives.

* * *

Lol, I love that Callie and Easy are together again but if they had died in the fire then maybe all that trouble afterwards could have been avoided! Sorry I didn't talk about Marymount sending out the email that who ever started the fire would be expelled, it just didn't seem important over all. Please review! 


End file.
